Golding creates dark irony in Lord of the
Flies when the boys wish for a message from the grown-up world, and within
the same night, a dead parachutist drifts onto the island and becomes snagged in a
tree.
In chapter five, "Beast from the Water," Ralph,
Simon, and Piggy yearn for the calming presence of the adult
world:
"'If
only they could get a message to us,' cried Ralph desperately. 'If only they could send
us something grownup...a sign or something"
(94).
The boys' desperate
wish for a sign from the grownups is granted in Chapter Six: a dead parachutist drops
out of the sky from an aerial battle at sea. The moment is full of irony, because the
boys wished for grownup intervention on the island, and they received an actual grownup;
however, the parachutist is dead upon arrival and his presence will not be a balm to the
boys. In fact, his drooping figure and blowing chute will scare Samneric so badly they
run from their post on the mountain side, convinced that they have seen the beast. The
appearance of the grownup actually causes more harm than good, creating a difficult,
tense situation among the boys who are incredibly frightened by the beast.
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